IMC to FAA/IR

[Prophead]

What is the easiest way to get from an IMC to an FAA/IR without going to the USA? (Assume exam done at Farnborough).

Can i just take my 15 hours IMC training, plus 22 hours Instrument flight done on a G-reg in the UK using my IMC and then do the 3 hours with an FAA Instructor, before taking the test?

I know the actual hours may be higher depending on the individual but is the above a legal way of getting the FAA/IR?

[Shunter]

It's not the clearest of situations, and despite the inconvenience it would probably be cheaper to nip over to the states and do it. There's only 1 FAA examiner who can do the checkride over here, Tom Hughston, and I believe he only undertakes such flights from Le Touquet. The exam can easily be done over here, as can the TSA fingerprinting (yes, you need this even if not visiting the USA).

You'll need to add up certain numbers which won't necessarily have a column in your existing logbook. P1 cross country hours for example (50 required), and number of night take-offs and landings (you need 10).

The good news however is that ALL time by sole reference to instruments counts. The stuff you did during your PPL counts, IMC training counts, any instrument time logged by you exercising your IMC rating counts.... The FARs state that you need 15hrs training, and many misinterpret that as meaning an FAA CFII, which is incorrect. So you are correct in saying that as a legal minimum a pilot with over 40hrs time by sole ref to instruments needs only do 3hrs with an FAA CFII prior to the checkride. Whether this is sufficient to get you to the required standard is highly debatable, and in all probability highly unlikely.

[Prophead]

Thanks for the reply.

After doing a bit more research i think it will be the 50 hours x country that is going to be a barrier to doing this. I have read that in order to qualify, the flight requires a landing more than 50nm from T/O rather than just a waypoint. As alot of my flying has been in rented aircraft with a short time slot, most of my flights have been to/from the same airfield.

[Shunter]

Yes, that's one of the main differences. XC over here essentially means leaving the circuit. In FAA-land you've got the 50nm thing, however it's worth considering that if you were to fly Leeds-Derby-Leicester, only 1 of the 2 legs is >50nm, but it all counts as FAA XC time.